Adobe announced today that it plans to discontinue its Photoshop Touch software for iPhone and iPad as it changes its approach to bringing features from its professional desktop application to mobile platforms. Rather than continuing to develop an all-in-one app that tries to recreate the Photoshop desktop experience on smartphones and tablets, Adobe is fully embracing its recent strategy of releasing multiple apps that each perform specific functions well. Adobe also revealed a preview of one of those new apps coming to replace Photoshop Touch under the name Project Rigel…

Project Rigel is what Adobe is calling its upcoming app that it describes as a “serious retouching solution for mobile,” which is says is currently being developed and on track for release toward the end of this year. Adobe even shared a 2 minute preview video showing Rigel’s ability to perform advanced, non-destructive correction edits to images.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLhftwa2-y4]

As for the other apps Adobe expects you to use on iOS instead of Photoshop Touch, the creative software company highlighted its catalog of recent software releases that focus on bringing specific features from the desktop Photoshop experience to iOS including Photoshop Mix, Shape CC, Color CC, Brush CC, and Comp CC. The new approach also means many of these apps are available for free to download, instead utilizing Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription service for adding cloud-syncing features that compliment the desktop Photoshop experience.

While Adobe notes that both apps will continue to work for the foreseeable future, it adds that it does not plan any future software updates and updates to iOS have historically caused problems for non-updated apps. If nothing else, Photoshop Touch’s retirement in favor of more focused apps should have the effect of making Adobe’s mobile approach less confusing for consumers. For customers affected by the app’s retirement, Adobe has provided this support guide.